South Africa 2027 Calendar: Public Holidays, School Dates, Religious Festivals & Important Dates

Calendar

Complete South Africa 2027 Calendar

One January-to-December planner combining statutory public holidays, the final public-school calendar, working-day counts, major Christian dates, tentative Islamic dates, Hindu and Jewish observances, family dates, seasonal markers and long-weekend planning.

Important: blue PH/OBS markers are South African statutory public holidays. Religious observances are not automatically public holidays. Islamic dates marked ISL* are tentative and must be checked against South African hilaal announcements.
365 Days in 2027
14 Public-holiday calendar dates
197 Actual public-school learner days
251 Standard Mon–Fri working days after weekday public holidays
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
School and legal calendar School day School holiday Weekend Public holiday Special School Holiday Educator admin Term start Term end
Religious, family and seasonal tags inside date cells CHR Christian ISL* Islamic tentative HIN Hindu JEW Jewish SA observance SEA season

January 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 PH 2
3 4 5 6 CHR ISL* 7 8 9
10 11 ADM 12 ADM 13 T1 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 JEW 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
20 standard working days 13 learner school days
Important days in January
  • 1 January New Year’s Day

    National public holiday; Friday creates a three-day weekend for many Monday-to-Friday workers.

  • 6 January Epiphany + tentative Islamic date

    Christian Epiphany; the Islamic calendar also tentatively places Isra and Mi’raj around this date. Confirm Islamic dates locally.

  • 11–12 January Educator administration

    Educators report and prepare before learners return.

  • 13 January Term 1 starts

    First learner school day of 2027.

  • 22 January sunset Tu BiShvat begins

    Jewish observance continues through 23 January.

February 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 ISL* 9 10 CHR 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 SA 22 23 24 25 26 27
28
20 standard working days 20 learner school days
Important days in February
  • 8 February* Projected Ramadan start

    Planning date only; South African hilaal confirmation takes precedence.

  • 10 February Ash Wednesday

    Beginning of Lent in the Western Christian calendar.

  • 21 February Armed Forces Day

    South African observance; not a statutory national public holiday.

March 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 ISL* 6 HIN
7 8 9 10 ISL* 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 END 20 SEA
21 PH CHR 22 OBS HIN JEW 23 24 25 CHR 26 PH CHR 27 CHR
28 CHR 29 PH 30 31
20 standard working days 15 learner school days
Important days in March
  • 5 March* Projected 27 Ramadan / last-ten-nights date

    Islamic planning date only; Laylat al-Qadr should not be treated as guaranteed to one Gregorian night.

  • 6 March Maha Shivaratri

    Hindu religious observance.

  • 10 March* Tentative Eid al-Fitr date

    Final South African Eid date depends on the Shawwal crescent and may differ by a day from the pre-calculated date.

  • 19 March Term 1 ends

    Public-school autumn break begins after this date.

  • 20 March March equinox

    Astronomical seasonal marker.

  • 21 March Human Rights Day + Palm Sunday

    Human Rights Day falls on Sunday; Palm Sunday also falls on 21 March in 2027.

  • 22 March Observed public holiday + Holi

    Monday is a public holiday because Human Rights Day falls on Sunday. Holi also falls on 22 March; Purim begins at sunset.

  • 25–29 March Holy Week and Easter

    Maundy Thursday 25 March, Good Friday 26 March, Holy Saturday 27 March, Easter Sunday 28 March and Family Day 29 March.

April 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3
4 5 6 T2 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 JEW 22 23 24
25 26 SCH 27 PH 28 29 30
21 standard working days 17 learner school days
Important days in April
  • 6 April Term 2 starts

    Public schools reopen.

  • 21 April sunset Passover begins

    Pesach begins at sunset and continues through 29 April in the Diaspora calendar.

  • 26 April Special School Holiday

    Public-school closure only; it is not a national public holiday.

  • 27 April Freedom Day

    National public holiday.

May 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 PH
2 3 4 5 6 CHR 7 8
9 SA 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 CHR 17 ISL* 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31
21 standard working days 21 learner school days
Important days in May
  • 1 May Workers’ Day

    National public holiday; it falls on Saturday.

  • 6 May Ascension Day

    Major Christian movable observance.

  • 9 May Mother’s Day

    South African family observance; not a statutory public holiday.

  • 16 May Pentecost Sunday

    Major Christian movable observance.

  • 17 May* Tentative Eid al-Adha date

    Use local South African crescent-sighting guidance for the final date; a calculated date may shift by a day.

June 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5
6 ISL* 7 8 9 10 JEW 11 12
13 14 15 16 PH 17 18 19
20 SA 21 SEA 22 23 24 25 END 26
27 28 29 30
21 standard working days 18 learner school days
Important days in June
  • 6 June* Projected Islamic New Year

    Tentative 1 Muharram date; confirm locally.

  • 10 June sunset Shavuot begins

    Continues through 12 June in the Diaspora calendar.

  • 16 June Youth Day

    National public holiday during Term 2.

  • 20 June Father’s Day

    Family observance; not a statutory public holiday.

  • 21 June June solstice

    Astronomical seasonal marker.

  • 25 June Term 2 ends

    Winter school holiday begins after this date.

July 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 SA 19 20 T3 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
22 standard working days 9 learner school days
Important days in July
  • 1–19 July Winter school holiday

    Public-school learners remain on winter break.

  • 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day

    Important South African/international observance; not a statutory public holiday.

  • 20 July Term 3 starts

    Public schools reopen.

August 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 PH 10 11 12 13 14
15 ISL* 16 17 HIN 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 HIN 26 27 28
29 30 31
21 standard working days 21 learner school days
Important days in August
  • 9 August National Women’s Day

    Monday national public holiday; creates a three-day weekend for many workers.

  • 15 August* Tentative Milad un Nabi

    Projected Islamic date; community observance and local calendar can differ.

  • 17 August Raksha Bandhan

    Hindu religious observance.

  • 25 August Janmashtami

    Hindu religious observance.

September 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 HIN 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 END 23 SEA 24 PH 25
26 27 28 29 30 HIN
21 standard working days 16 learner school days
Important days in September
  • 3 September Ganesh Chaturthi

    Hindu religious observance.

  • 22 September Term 3 ends

    Spring school break begins after this date.

  • 23 September September equinox

    Astronomical seasonal marker.

  • 24 September Heritage Day

    Friday national public holiday; creates a three-day weekend for many workers.

  • 30 September Navaratri begins

    Hindu religious observance.

October 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 JEW 2
3 4 5 T4 6 7 8 9 HIN
10 JEW 11 12 13 14 15 JEW 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 HIN 29 30
31
21 standard working days 19 learner school days
Important days in October
  • 1 October sunset Rosh Hashanah begins

    Jewish New Year continues through 3 October.

  • 5 October Term 4 starts

    Public schools reopen for the final term.

  • 9 October Dussehra

    Hindu religious observance.

  • 10 October sunset Yom Kippur begins

    Continues through 11 October.

  • 15 October sunset Sukkot begins

    Continues through 22 October.

  • 28 October Diwali

    Hindu festival; not a South African statutory public holiday.

November 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 CHR 29 30
22 standard working days 22 learner school days
Important days in November
  • November Full public-school Term 4 month

    No statutory national public holiday falls in November 2027.

  • 28 November First Sunday of Advent

    Beginning of Advent in the Western Christian calendar.

December 2027

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 END 9 ADM 10 ADM 11
12 13 14 15 16 PH 17 18
19 20 21 22 SEA 23 24 CHR JEW 25 PH CHR
26 PH ISL* 27 OBS 28 29 30 31 SA
21 standard working days 6 learner school days
Important days in December
  • 8 December Learners finish

    Final public-school learner day of 2027.

  • 9–10 December Educator administration

    Educators complete year-end administration.

  • 16 December Day of Reconciliation

    National public holiday.

  • 22 December December solstice

    Astronomical seasonal marker.

  • 24 December sunset Hanukkah begins

    Jewish Festival of Lights continues into 1 January 2028. Christmas Eve is also 24 December.

  • 25 December Christmas Day

    National public holiday; falls on Saturday.

  • 26–27 December Day of Goodwill period

    26 December falls on Sunday, so Monday 27 December is also a public holiday. A tentative Islamic Isra and Mi’raj date is also shown on 26 December.

  • 31 December New Year’s Eve

    Year-end observance; not a national public holiday.

Quick Answer

South Africa’s 2027 master calendar has 365 days. There are 12 named statutory public holidays, but 14 public-holiday calendar dates because Human Rights Day and Day of Goodwill fall on Sundays and the following Mondays are also public holidays. Public-school learners attend 197 actual school days. A standard Monday-to-Friday calculation gives 261 weekdays before public holidays and 251 working days after the 10 public-holiday dates that fall on weekdays are excluded.

This page is designed as a single master reference for the most useful South Africa 2027 calendar information. It combines official government dates with clearly labelled religious and social observances so that a user can immediately distinguish a national public holiday from a school-only closure, religious festival, family observance or planning date.

Not every coloured date means a day off work or school.

Only dates marked PH or OBS are statutory national public-holiday dates. The 26 April SCH marker is a Special School Holiday for public schools only. Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Jewish dates are religious observances unless they separately coincide with a statutory public holiday.

South Africa Public Holidays 2027

South Africa has 12 named statutory public holidays. Because Human Rights Day on 21 March and Day of Goodwill on 26 December both fall on Sundays in 2027, the following Mondays are also public holidays.

That produces 14 public-holiday calendar dates.

Date Day Holiday Status
1 January Friday New Year’s Day National public holiday
21 March Sunday Human Rights Day National public holiday
22 March Monday Human Rights Day observed public holiday Observed/additional Monday public holiday
26 March Friday Good Friday National public holiday
29 March Monday Family Day National public holiday
27 April Tuesday Freedom Day National public holiday
1 May Saturday Workers’ Day National public holiday
16 June Wednesday Youth Day National public holiday
9 August Monday National Women’s Day National public holiday
24 September Friday Heritage Day National public holiday
16 December Thursday Day of Reconciliation National public holiday
25 December Saturday Christmas Day National public holiday
26 December Sunday Day of Goodwill National public holiday
27 December Monday Day of Goodwill observed public holiday Observed/additional Monday public holiday
Saturday holidays do not automatically create a Monday substitute under the Sunday rule.

Workers’ Day on Saturday, 1 May and Christmas Day on Saturday, 25 December do not by themselves move to Monday. Monday, 27 December is a public holiday because Day of Goodwill falls on Sunday, 26 December.

See the dedicated South Africa Public Holidays 2027 guide for a holiday-only version.

South Africa Public School Calendar 2027

Term Learner dates Weeks Scheduled learner weekdays Actual learner school days
Term 1 13 January – 19 March 10 48 48
Term 2 6 April – 25 June 12 59 56
Term 3 20 July – 22 September 10 47 46
Term 4 5 October – 8 December 10 47 47
Total 4 terms 42 201 197
Educator dates are slightly wider than learner dates.

Educators report on 11 January, with administration on 11–12 January before learners start on 13 January. Learners finish on 8 December; educator administration continues on 9–10 December and educators finish on 10 December.

The official school calendar also identifies Monday, 26 April 2027 as a Special School Holiday. It is not a national public holiday.

See the detailed South Africa School Calendar 2027 .

South Africa School Holiday Periods 2027

Break Holiday period for learners Return date Important overlap
Term 1 / autumn break 20 March – 5 April 6 April Human Rights Day period and the full Easter weekend
Winter break 26 June – 19 July 20 July 24 calendar days
Spring break 23 September – 4 October 5 October Heritage Day on 24 September
Year-end break From 9 December for learners Use final 2028 calendar December public holidays

For a break-focused page, use South Africa School Holidays 2027 .

Working Days in South Africa in 2027

A standard Monday-to-Friday calendar contains 261 weekdays in 2027.

Ten statutory public-holiday dates fall on weekdays, leaving 251 standard working days before employer-specific leave, shutdowns or roster arrangements are considered.

Month Mon–Fri weekdays Weekday public holidays Standard working days
January 21 1 20
February 20 0 20
March 23 3 20
April 22 1 21
May 21 0 21
June 22 1 21
July 22 0 22
August 22 1 21
September 22 1 21
October 21 0 21
November 22 0 22
December 23 2 21
Total 261 10 251
This is a standard calendar calculation, not a universal employment entitlement.

Shift workers, weekend workers, workplaces with shutdown periods and employees covered by different arrangements can have a different number of actual working days.

Best Long Weekends and Annual-Leave Opportunities in 2027

New Year Weekend 1–3 January · 0 leave days

New Year’s Day falls on Friday.

Human Rights Day Weekend 20–22 March · 0 leave days

21 March is Sunday, making Monday 22 March a public holiday.

Best Leave Value 20–29 March · 3 leave days

Take 23–25 March as approved annual leave to connect the observed Human Rights Day holiday with Easter: potentially 10 consecutive days away from work for a standard Monday-to-Friday worker.

Easter Weekend 26–29 March · 0 leave days

Good Friday and Family Day create a ready-made four-day weekend.

Freedom Day Bridge 24–27 April · 1 leave day for workers

Take Monday 26 April as annual leave. Public-school learners already have 26 April as a Special School Holiday.

Women’s Day Weekend 7–9 August · 0 leave days

National Women’s Day falls on Monday.

Heritage Day Weekend 24–26 September · 0 leave days

Heritage Day falls on Friday.

December Bridge 16–19 December · 1 leave day

Take Friday 17 December after Day of Reconciliation on Thursday.

Christmas / Goodwill 25–27 December · 0 leave days

Day of Goodwill falls on Sunday, so Monday 27 December is also a public holiday.

See the full 2027 Long Weekend Planner for leave-day combinations and calculations.

Major Christian Dates in 2027

Date Christian date South African calendar note
6 January Epiphany Religious observance; not a national public holiday.
10 February Ash Wednesday Beginning of Lent.
21 March Palm Sunday Also Human Rights Day, a national public holiday falling on Sunday.
25 March Maundy Thursday Religious observance.
26 March Good Friday National public holiday.
27 March Holy Saturday Religious observance.
28 March Easter Sunday Religious observance; Sunday.
29 March Family Day National public holiday following Easter Sunday.
6 May Ascension Day Christian movable observance; not a statutory national public holiday.
16 May Pentecost Sunday religious observance.
28 November First Sunday of Advent Beginning of Advent.
25 December Christmas Day National public holiday.

For Easter-specific planning, see Easter Weekend 2027 in South Africa .

Projected Islamic Dates in South Africa in 2027

Islamic months are lunar. South African Muslim bodies conduct and coordinate hilaal sightings, so calculated Gregorian equivalents should be treated as planning dates only.

The master calendar uses an ISL* tag and labels pre-calculated Eid dates as tentative because local crescent sighting can make the final South African date differ by a day.

Planning date Islamic date / event Status
6 January* Isra and Mi’raj Tentative
8 February* Projected Ramadan start Confirm with South African hilaal announcement
5 March* Projected 27 Ramadan / last-ten-nights planning date Do not claim one date is guaranteed Laylat al-Qadr
10 March* Tentative Eid al-Fitr date Final date depends on the Shawwal crescent and may differ by a day
17 May* Tentative Eid al-Adha date Final date depends on the Dhul-Hijjah determination and may differ by a day
6 June* Projected 1 Muharram / Islamic New Year Tentative
15 August* Milad un Nabi Tentative; observance practices differ
26 December* Isra and Mi’raj Tentative
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are not South African statutory national public holidays.

Employees and learners may need to arrange leave or absence according to workplace, school and institutional rules. Always use the final local hilaal announcement for religious observance.

See the dedicated South Africa Islamic Calendar 2027 for more Hijri detail.

Major Hindu Dates in South Africa in 2027

Date Hindu festival Public-holiday status
6 March Maha Shivaratri Not a statutory national public holiday
22 March Holi Not itself a statutory holiday, but 22 March is already a public holiday because Human Rights Day is observed
17 August Raksha Bandhan Not a statutory national public holiday
25 August Janmashtami Not a statutory national public holiday
3 September Ganesh Chaturthi Not a statutory national public holiday
30 September Navaratri begins Not a statutory national public holiday
9 October Dussehra Not a statutory national public holiday
28 October Diwali Not a statutory national public holiday

Major Jewish Dates in 2027

Jewish religious days begin at sunset. The dates below use the Diaspora calendar and therefore show the evening on which each listed observance begins.

Begins Jewish observance Ends / note
22 January sunset Tu BiShvat 23 January nightfall
22 March sunset Purim 23 March nightfall
21 April sunset Pesach / Passover 29 April nightfall in the Diaspora calendar
10 June sunset Shavuot 12 June nightfall in the Diaspora calendar
1 October sunset Rosh Hashanah 3 October nightfall
10 October sunset Yom Kippur 11 October nightfall
15 October sunset Sukkot 22 October nightfall
24 December sunset Hanukkah 1 January 2028 nightfall

Family, South African and Seasonal Dates

Date Observance Type
21 February Armed Forces Day South African observance
20 March March equinox Seasonal marker
9 May Mother’s Day Family observance
20 June Father’s Day Family observance
21 June June solstice Seasonal marker
18 July Nelson Mandela International Day South African/international observance
23 September September equinox Seasonal marker
22 December December solstice Seasonal marker
31 December New Year’s Eve Year-end observance
Observance is not the same as statutory public holiday.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Mandela Day and the seasonal dates are useful calendar references but do not create national public-holiday entitlement.

2027 Public School Admissions

The national school calendar determines term dates, but learner admission deadlines are provincial.

The Department of Basic Education advises parents to check individual provincial deadlines because registrations for the following school year can occur well before that year begins.

Important timing point

Many applications for the 2027 school year were processed during 2026, not during the 2027 calendar year. Provincial processes can include different application, placement, acceptance, transfer and late-application periods.

Because provincial processes differ, this master calendar does not invent one national “2027 admissions date”. Check the relevant provincial education department for current placement, late-application and transfer arrangements.

2027 Matric / NSC Examination Timetable Status

The public-school term calendar does not contain the subject-by-subject National Senior Certificate examination timetable.

Do not guess the 2027 matric paper dates from the term calendar.

The National Senior Certificate subject timetable is a separate Department of Basic Education publication. Add exact 2027 examination dates to this master calendar only after the final official timetable has been published.

South Africa Public Holidays 2027

Statutory holidays, observed Mondays and holiday rules.

South Africa School Calendar 2027

Detailed public-school term and educator dates.

South Africa School Holidays 2027

Learner break periods and return dates.

Easter Weekend 2027

Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Family Day and school-holiday overlap.

2027 Long Weekend Planner

Best annual-leave combinations and ready-made long weekends.

Islamic Calendar 2027 South Africa

Projected Hijri dates with South African moon-sighting guidance.

Explore more South African calendar guides

Browse the Calendar category for annual calendars, school dates, public holidays and planning guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days are in 2027?

2027 is a common year with 365 days.

How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2027?

There are 12 named statutory public holidays. Because two fall on Sundays, 2027 has 14 public-holiday calendar dates when the additional Mondays are included.

How many standard working days are there in South Africa in 2027?

A Monday-to-Friday calculation gives 261 weekdays. Excluding the 10 public-holiday dates that fall on weekdays leaves 251 standard working days, before workplace-specific leave or shutdowns.

When do public-school learners start in 2027?

Learners start Term 1 on Wednesday, 13 January 2027. Educators report on 11 January.

When do learners finish school in 2027?

Public-school learners finish on 8 December 2027. Educator administration continues through 10 December.

Is 26 April 2027 a public holiday?

No. It is an official Special School Holiday for public schools. Freedom Day on 27 April is the national public holiday.

What is the best long-weekend leave opportunity in 2027?

For many Monday-to-Friday workers, taking 23–25 March as approved annual leave can connect the 22 March observed public holiday with the Easter weekend, potentially producing 10 consecutive days away from work from 20–29 March.

When is Easter Sunday in 2027?

Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Good Friday is 26 March and Family Day is 29 March.

When is Ramadan 2027 in South Africa?

A planning calendar places the start around 8 February 2027, but the actual South African Islamic date must be confirmed through local hilaal sighting.

When is Eid al-Fitr 2027?

A pre-calculated calendar places Eid al-Fitr around March 2027, but the final South African date depends on the confirmed Shawwal crescent and may differ by a day.

When is Diwali 2027?

This calendar lists Diwali on Thursday, 28 October 2027.

When is Rosh Hashanah 2027?

In the Diaspora calendar, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on 1 October 2027 and ends at nightfall on 3 October.

Is Eid or Diwali a national public holiday in South Africa?

No. They are important religious festivals but are not listed among South Africa’s statutory national public holidays.

Are 2027 school admission dates the same in every province?

No. Admission deadlines and systems are provincial, so parents should check the relevant provincial education department.

Does this calendar include final 2027 matric exam dates?

No. The subject-by-subject NSC timetable is a separate DBE publication and should be added only after the final 2027 timetable is officially released.

Department of Basic Education Call Centre: 0800 202 933
DBE Switchboard: 012 357 3000
Email: [email protected]